Here it is, folks. The DVD version of one of the biggest hits in anime, and one of the first titles to hit our shores when the anime invasion began way back in the early '90s. Upon its original release, Gunbuster was a great many firsts: it was one of the first anime titles to go straight to video, creating the Original Animation Video (OAV) trend that continues to this day. It was the first commercial hit for then fledgling studio Gainax, and it was also the directorial debut of Hideki Anno, who would go on to create and direct Neon Genesis Evangelion. That's a lot of firsts. You're looking at anime history, here, folks, and its not to be missed.
In the year 2015, Earth's first faster-than-light ship, the Luxion, is destroyed by mysterious "space monsters", prompting Earth to prepare for war. Six years later, Noriko Takaya, daughter of the Luxion's captain, is a student at the Okinawa Girls' Space Pilot High School, training to become a robot pilot and go into space herself. But she has rather poor piloting skills, as opposed to the talented Kazumi Amano, leading many to believe she's using her "connections" to get where she is. Especially when the school's new coach, who turns out to be a Luxion survivor, chooses Noriko along with Kazumi to join the Top Squadron as part of Earth's defense fleet against the Space Monsters. Thanks to some intense training and inspiring advice from the coach, Noriko is able to prove she has what it takes, but her real test will come when she comes face to face against the enemy... in the pilot's seat of the latest machine weapon, the massive Gunbuster.
When I first saw this title on the shelf at my local Blockbuster, back when VHS was popular, I picked it up for the simple fact that it was anime, but was soon drawn to the compelling storyline and incredible action. Seeing it again today was a great nostalgia trip for me as I was reminded what drew me to anime in the first place. I'm talking fast-paced action and dynamic character drama that combined makes for a grand epic story. Of course, the occasional bits of nudity didn't hurt, either, and I'm talking real nudity, not the sneak peek "fan service" we've been getting lately. So keep this one away from your young'uns who are still into Pokemon.
T-and-A aside, there's plenty to enjoy with this old title. And I'm not just talking about the space battles, which are done so wonderfully you'll remember how they used to do it back in the days when everything was done by hand before computers took everything over. For the first half, much of the robot battles are between other humans, most notably when Noriko fights a jealous senior classmate to prove her worth, or when Kazumi goes against cocky Soviet pilot Jung Freud. It isn't until the third episode that we finally see the Earth fleet take on the aliens, and we don't even see the actual battle, as the whole scene is set around Noriko, who finds herself unable to fight. And the title mech of the story doesn't make its full-fledged debut until the fourth episode, and not until the big climax. They may not be much, but what fights we do get are still big and eventful, and definitely worth waiting for.
The real point of the series is the character development of the story. The center, of course, is Noriko and how she interacts with the other characters, growing in strength as a pilot and a person. She has many battles before going into space, primarily against her cruel classmates who persistently ridicule her. Thankfully, it's the advice of Coach, Kazumi, Jung (who, interesting enough, seems like a precursor for Evangelion character Asuka, another talented redhead with a cocky attitude) and her first crush Smith that helps Noriko grow as a person. So much so, that during the battle of episode five, it's Noriko who gives encouraging advice to a distraught Kazumi. It's one of the best scenes of the series, showing how much our heroine has grown, and what makes this series so great.
One interesting plot point of Gunbuster is the effect space travel has on the main characters. When Noriko and the others travel through space at speeds faster-than-light, they're bound by the laws of physics, in particular relativity and how time progresses faster around them the faster they go. While mere moments go by for our heroes, months or even years go by on Earth. So when Noriko returns to Earth after her first mission, she's still a teenager, but her best friend has grown up and become a mother. This concept becomes a recurring theme in each episode and helps to add to the drama and makes this series so compelling.
Score: 9 out of 10
The Video
Gunbuster is presented in Fullscreen (4:3) for the first five episodes, with the final episode presented in Letterbox Widescreen (16:9), preserving the original video presentation. The video quality on these discs are very well done. The first four episodes show their age, having a slight grainy look to them that was the quality of animation back then, while episode 5 has a much clearer look to it, possibly showing the increased budget Gainax had at that point.
Episode 6 is not only in widescreen, but also in black-and-white. Not sure what the point of that was, but it certainly does help add to the dramatic feel of the finale. All in all, it's all some nice clean animation worthy of this classic series.
Score: 9 out of 10
The Audio
Gunbuster offers one audio option: Japanese in Linear PCM 2.0. There are subtitles in English that can be turned on or off, with another option to have them on "with Signs", meaning the on-screen text.
The audio on the disc is very well recorded, coming out nice and clear as it plays. Especially when played in a home theater system with 5.1 surround sound, which helps bring out the dynamic music and impressive sound effects. Especially during the space battles, full of all sorts of explosions, and it's also when the music can - and does - get truly haunting during the particular dramatic scenes.
It's rather surprising that there isn't an English language track for this series. I can't even remember if one was even done for any video release, but you would think that Bandai/Honneamise would put one together for this DVD release. That's good for anime purists, but it does make it hard to follow since your attention is divided between reading the subtitles and following the action. There's a chance an English track is being saved for a possible future "special edition", but who can say for sure?
Score: 8 out of 10
Packaging and Extras
Gunbuster comes in a specially built tri-fold case that fits into a box designed to hold the series. When folded out, the case features a beautifully painted head-shot image of the Gunbuster in its hangar bay, with one section dedicated to what looks like a recently drawn poster-like image of the four main characters. A very nice case, in the long run.
There isn't much in terms of extras for these discs. What there is are some short animated pieces that were probably promotional pieces for the series or were included on the original Japanese video releases. Disc 1 has "OHG Good Morning", which features an underwater training exercise at Noriko's high school, narrated/commented by what could be a couple of her classmates. Disc 2 is "Cosmic Battle Space", a near 2-minute piece that features brief glimpses of episode 4's climatic space battle that weren't featured in the actual episode. And Disc 3's "Sizzler Project" is about the mass-production version of the Gunbuster, with Jung getting a rundown of its features in a way that's almost like a recruitment ad. The interesting thing about these pieces is that you have the option of choosing the audio you want to hear it in, either 2-channel or 5.1, with the first one having the option to hear it in 5.1 without the audio.
Discs 1 and 3 also each have an old trailer for the Gunbuster series. Disc 1's comes from 1988, and started out with Gainax really promoting themselves before they had even made it big. Disc 3 has the one from 1989, and uses clips from the whole series to promote the final volume, almost telling the whole story. The interesting about these trailers is that they were recorded from VHS copies, the 1988 one from the original master and the 1989 one from a Hi8 tape, the original master being lost. Thus they have that old VHS quality, complete with grainy footage and a few jumps and black lines here and there. At any rate, it really helps you compare how much the quality of the video was cleaned up for the DVD.
One batch of extras that aren't really "extras", so to speak, are the "Science Lessons" that follow each episode and were part of the original VHS versions of the series. These little segments featured super-deformed versions of Noriko and Kazumi (and Coach, mainly to yell at Noriko) explaining all the sci-fi techno-babble featured in the series. So you get to learn the theory of "ether space" and how it's used for space travel, starbows and the "Rip van Winkle Effect", the concepts of warping (not the Star Trek version, let me clear that up), and the space monsters Noriko and others are fighting.
Lesson 4 follows right after 3 on the DVD, so be prepared for some spoilers. The final two lessons, 4+1 and "final", seem more recent, as they have cleaner animation and Kazumi even states they were done six years later. Lesson 4+1 features a history of spaceships, from the old Apollo series to the ones used in the show, along with their propulsion systems, and Final gives us a "true history" of the Solar System, along with some new planets that were "discovered" in 1999 (hey, the show was made way back in 1988, the future seemed a lot further off). They're a little hard to follow because of the subtitling, but they're great for sci-fi nuts and seem to be grounded as much in real science as possible. They're also cute because they show Noriko's status as an otaku, something only hinted at in the actual series. In other words, you're pretty much tricked into learning something. Hey, it works, so don't knock it.
Also included with the box is a booklet entitled "Welcome Back", which features production art, character profiles for the main cast, and summaries and notes for each episode. This is a nice refresher for old fans, a great intro for new ones, and helps you learn new facts you didn't think of before. It basically features stuff that could've been a few features on the DVDs, or even a bonus "extras" disc that could've also included interviews with Anno and the rest of the old crew. Probably something else they're maybe including in a possible "special edition" in the future.
Score: 7 out of 10
The Bottom Line
Lack of extras aside, this is still a great series, and is a set perfect for old and new fans alike. One you'll definitely want to add to your collection.